The World Tournament
by Sharwyn the Wandering Bard
Summary: Junnana-Gou fights an above average human at the World Tournament. Will he be attracted to her, or forget about her as soon as he has collected the prize money?


_A/N: This story is for Nene ^_^ If you want more, please review. _

* * *

Bing Qing Xiang wasn't going to admit it, but she was becoming pretty damn nervous. She was a highly advanced martial artist; there was no doubt about that. But there were so many people here. What if someone was better then her? It couldn't be that unlikely. She had never encountered anyone who could defeat her in a fight, but then again, she had never left her home town before. Those she had fought she had done so for money, to feed her younger brother, Long.

"Don't bother with them. The crowd doesn't care who wins or loses, and neither should you. It's the fight itself that counts," a soft voice said from behind her. Bing Qing whipped around, startled. She hadn't heard anyone enter. No one could catch her by surprise like that. 

A _binanshi_ stood behind her. Bing Qing's breath caught in the back of her throat. His icy blue eyes were so...intense. A strand of black hair fell in his face, and his jeans were ripped above the left knee. A bandana was tied loosely around his neck, and his jacket bore the Red Ribbon Army insignia.

"Uh..." Bing Qing stuttered, staring, then recovered herself and laughed. "Hi. I'm Bing Qing." She extended a hand towards the stranger and smiled. He did not return the smile, and studied her face for a moment before accepting her extended palm. "Are you in the tournament, too?"

"Indeed," was her only reply. Bing Qing tried desperately to tear her eyes away from those piercing ice eyes. A corner of his mouth turned upwards. "I look forward to seeing you fight."

With those words, the stranger turned and walked away, leaving Bing Qing standing, mouth slightly open, staring after the handsome young man with a dazed look. 

* * *

His fighting style was incredible. Every motion was conservative. If Bing Qing didn't know better, she would think that he was bored, and not trying. But these people were among the best you could ever hope to find. Surely they were not that easy for him to defeat? As if to argue her thoughts, the dark haired fighter spun around in an impressive jumping kick, connecting with his opponent's head. The bald warrior was lifted off his feet and thrown from the ring.

"Wow, Bing Qing, would you look at that," breathed Long. Startled by his whisper, she jerked and glanced down in surprise.

"Long, what are you doing down here?" she hissed. "I told you to stay in the stands so I knew where you were." "Sorry, sis," the boy said, though there was no repentance in his chocolate eyes. Bing Qing sighed with a rueful smile. Long would never change.

"Are you worried about fighting him?" He asked as they walked around the stadium, waiting for her fight to come up.

"Who?" Asked Bing Qing casually, as though she didn't know the one fighter whose very attitude awed her.

Long snorted, seeing right through her. "That Juunana-gou, Number 17. He is incredible."

Even her strongest supporter could see she was going to take the beating of her life.

Her palms were sweating. Blood rushed in her ears, thundering so loud it drowned out even the cheering of the audience. But her face was calm. Her dark, slanted eyes watched him carefully as she awaited the signal to begin. This would be a fight she would never forget, without a doubt. Would she be the first woman to claim the belt, or would she walk away with many new techniques and little else? 

* * *

The woman was intriguing to him. Number 17 watched her just as closely as she watched him. This tournament had not been anything hard for him, simply an easy way for him to earn quick money. Hopefully his sister did not see this. He could not bare the shame, to see her again after he had failed her. But in this world you needed cash, and a lot of it. Having renounced his old ways, Number 17 decided this would be the easiest way to earn it.

Apparently getting a second chance at life gave you an annoyingly persistent conscience. 

* * *

"Ready? Fight!" Called the announcer, his glasses glinting in the sun. Neither competitor moved for a long while, oblivious to the howls of the crowd. And then, remembering his advice to her, Bing Qing grinned and motioned, inviting him to attack. The fight began.

He came at her so fast; it was as though he flew low instead of ran. Bing Qing barely had time to protect herself. Crossing her arms in front of her face, she relaxed her muscles, waiting for a blow that didn't come. It only took her a moment to realize that he was testing her. As the fight began to flow through her, Bing Qing became more in tuned to it, and slowly began to move closer to him, keeping her weight on the balls of her feet. In the beginning, she never took the offensive. It worked that way for her.

Number 17 came in again, this time from behind. His linked fists caught her between the shoulder blades, sending Bing Qing sprawling.

'How did he get back there?' Bing Qing lay still for a moment, confused. Then she pushed herself up and back onto her feet. The two parried, trading testing punches and kicks. Then, he attacked with unbelievable speed again. One moment, Juunana-gou was in front of her, causally watching her approach. Then, suddenly, he appeared behind her with a stunning blow that made her world dim.

White light burst before her eyes as Bing Qing's head connected with the hard stone stadium floor. A groan rose from the crowd, and the announcer babbled something. She paid neither any attention. Blocking out the pain, she tuned into the fight itself, and felt her opponent coming. He thought to knock her out of the ring right now and be done with it. Well, she was going to surprise him.

When Number 17's foot nudged her in the side, Bing Qing grasped it and twisted him, sending his sprawling. Somehow she knew that it was merely the unexpected attack that had caught this bishonen off-guard. He was far stronger then she was, and she was going to have to use all of her wits if she meant to defeat him or even put up a good fight. Relaxing again, Bing Qing let the fight flow through her. It was a real thing, tangible and invisible at once. Her eyes slid nearly closed. She did not need them when she connected this deeply with the fight.

Juunana-gou attacked with a fierce punching move, twisting his body in such a way that her own kick missed him. Not missing a beat, Bing Qing swung an arm towards a dark head. This too he blocked, but neither did he land a punch. When they stepped back, she could see that he was surprised, and pleased. She had no real thoughts. It was an odd placed she traveled to when she fought. A quiet, calm, blank part of her mind. She didn't bother to explain it to herself or anyone else. All that Bing Qing knew was it was there.

The two fighters circled each other, sizing the other up, knowing they faced someone worth while and respecting them while contemplating the best way to defeat them. Bing Qing knew her faults. She left her right side open sometimes, and forgot to protect her head. Normally, she could find the faults of others after a short bout of fighting. But this man-he seemed to be faultless. He moved with grace, conservative and deadly.

"Your fighting is remarkable, for a human," Number 17 said softly, tossing his head to return an errant strand to its place. His icy blue eyes bored into hers, and Bing Qing didn't notice that the fight was slowly leaving her as her attention wandered.

"Thanks," she murmured, striking out casually. He easily evaded it. "You are the best I have ever seen." Her honesty caught her by surprise. Was that a weakness he could play on?

But the stranger just laughed. It was a deep, rich, baritone sound. Goosebumps rose on her arms. His leg whipped out and knocked her own out from beneath her, sending her down painfully. He pulled her up almost before her rump touched the arena, and twisted her left arm behind her back. She struggled angrily, but his grip was unbreakable. She tried not to notice that he smelled really nice.

"Checkmate." 


End file.
